What makes a good cup of coffee?

[unclogum bill]

I got to admit I change slow and still make my coffee the old way on the stove top. The wife has one of those put in the plastic premeasured packet and out pops a cup things. My coffee seems more like water then good stuff no matter how much grinds I add. I had a great cup at a restaurant the other night. Any thoughts here on brand or good coffee maker?:arrow:

[375RUGER]

I make mine on the stove top in a Corning Ware coffee pot. They are just the best. The old pyrex coffee pots are good too. Fresh grind then brew. let it perc SLOW, do not boil the coffee.
What kind of coffee are you attempting to brew?
Good coffee is only as good as the bean it is made from. I like dark coffee myself, the dark roasts. I brew Rio Grande Roasters from my local Sam's.

[Outpost75]

French press!

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-perfectly-robust-f-113601

[AKtinman]

When I lived in a small north Texas town I would go to Starbucks for my daily cup of coffee. Just coffee, not the fancy latte, XYZ, etc stuff. The local cafe’s were often not open when I was up and going, or their coffee was pretty bad. I did make some at home, but never was satisfied, in part because of the local water taste.

Last May I bought a Jura machine. Yeah, the price just about takes your breath away, but the coffee is incredibly good. Plus, I just walk over and push a button, the machine grinds the beans, and does all the work inside while all I have to do is pick up my cup and enjoy.

I haven’t used the frother to make fancy stuff yet, but this summer I made some iced coffee (2 shots espresso over ice with milk) and it was quite good.

http://www.us.jura.com/home_us_x/impressa_c5_ul.htm

I can hardly drink a cup of Starbucks now. And that doesn’t matter as the closest one is 45 miles away ;) Have fun with your search, there are lots of options out there.

[unclogum bill]

I make mine on the stove top in a Corning Ware coffee pot. They are just the best. The old pyrex coffee pots are good too. Fresh grind then brew. let it perc SLOW, do not boil the coffee.
What kind of coffee are you attempting to brew?
Good coffee is only as good as the bean it is made from. I like dark coffee myself, the dark roasts. I brew Rio Grande Roasters from my local Sam's. I have been grinding Costco dark beans, but cooking it hot. Going to try the slow method tomorrow. Old saying"what can it hurt"

[Doc_Stihl]

K - CUPS!
They're more expensive by the cup than brewing, but they're 1 cup instantly and no waste. I buy San Francisco Bay companies Fog Chaser (http://www.amazon.com/San-Francisco-Bay-Coffee-80-Count/dp/B007Y59HVM/ref=pd_bxgy_gro_img_y) from BJ's 80 packs for $30.
The coffee is DARK and RICH and better than anything I have found anywhere else at any price. Every cup made is the same as the last. No measuring, no cleaning pots or forgotten filters. It's a LUXURY that I won't give up. The only problem is when I get a coffee anywhere else it's "bleh". Someone at work was telling me that they wouldn't get a Keurig cause the kcups were too expensive. I explained that I can buy a K-Cup and a travel mug from the dollar store and throw the mug away for the same price as a dunkin donut's medium. And I can make that cup of coffee faster than stopping at a drive thru.

[fouronesix]

A good quality filter paper in a basket. Good quality water and medium fine FRESH ground coffee of good quality. Water needs to be between 190-200'F (well under the boiling point) then slowly poured through. Alternatively, same ingredients/recipe made in a quality "French press" maker.

[gbrown]

I use the Folger's 100% Columbian, either Med-Dark or Black Silk (Dark). I like the taste of it. I have a Cuisinart with a thermal carafe, keeps it fairly hot all day. 3- one eighth cup-kinda heaping scoops with 8 cups of water makes a good brew. At the camp, I use a percolator, make some real mud up there. Love it. I may break out my mom's old percolator and use it, I still got it in the garage. The Cuisinart is just do dang easy--set it up at night and turn on the autobrew. Walk in the kitchen in the morning and pour my first cup. Just lazy, I guess.

[Blacksmith]

Fill a big porcelain coffee pot with water from the spring and put it on the log fire, pour in about a pound of coffee ground up nice and a few egg shells (don't grind them), cook it 'till a horse shoe floats. Then enjoy!

[thekidd76]

^^What are the egg shells for Blacksmith?

[grumman581]

I've always liked a chicory blend coffee. Although it definitely adds to the richness of the flavor, it unfortunately does not add to the caffeine content. Some people might prefer that, but I'm "caffeine-dependent"... :(

[felix]

Making good coffee is just like making good wine! Both are nothing but chemicals mixed together. The taste obtained is dependent on your taste buds at the moment as well. Some general rules about coffee: Water should be around 180 degrees for normal roasts. Anything more tends to break down the "woody" kernals as well as the caffine content. Anything less than 140 degrees allows buggy contaminates, such as from roach poop, to thrive. You can count on the water from the tap having been modified, and in some areas quite extensively to meet standards not necessarily conducive to a good cup of coffee. Water properly balanced with calcium and magnesium sulfates and chlorides after distillation is a great standard when comparing different coffees, remembering each lot of coffee will be different anyway. This is no different than playing with different loads for different guns. There is one combination that beats everything, but only on certain days (taste buds, ambient conditions, etc). ... felix

[Mk42gunner]

As I get older, I prefer a darker roast that gives a richer taste. I also don't drink as much coffee as I used to one big cup once a day or so will keep me satisfied. I used to drink coffee from the time I got up until I went to bed (Navy training don't you know).

I agree a Corning Ware percolator can make the best coffee, but the cheap Mr. Coffee knockoffs are so much more convenient; it is just harder to get the ratio of grounds to water right with them.

Robert

[Janoosh]

Folgers 100% columbian, Black Silk... Clean water... Farberware percolater.... got this set-up in my workshop...All the cawfee i could need for the day. If i want it " stand my hair up" strong...I perk it twice!

[Janoosh]

On the other hand....when I work in NYC...it's "Mud Truck" cawfee....parked in front of Cooper Union..near the subway entrance.

[Dale in Louisiana]

Green beans from Sweet Maria's (http://www.sweetmarias.com/index.php), roasted at the house every couple of days, ground fresh before brewing in a french press.

The coffee at the office is Community Dark Roast (the State Coffee of Louisiana, by act of the state legislature), drip-brewed.

Mine's better.

dale in Louisiana

[grumman581]

The coffee at the office is Community Dark Roast (the State Coffee of Louisiana, by act of the state legislature), drip-brewed.

Mine's better.

dale in Louisiana

No chicory? I thought they would kick you out of the state if you didn't prefer a chicory blend coffee... :)

[300savage]

high crisp mountain air as a light snow falls on your quartered elk. with the smell of coffee startn to boil in your quart pot and your little pine fire poppin and putting that faint flavor of the wild in it.

[Love Life]

Brand of Coffee: Whatever is on sale
Water: Straight from the sink
Coffee Pot: Mr. Coffee

Add grounds to filter, add water to reservoir, push start button, come back in 5 minutes for coffee.

[375supermag]

HI...

Brew coffee in an automatic coffee maker (Hamilton Beach Brew Station) using Folger's Gourmet Roast.
Add creamer and sweetner to taste.
Walk over to sink, pour down drain, rinse out cup.

Get some Earl Grey tea and pour boiling water over it, let brew.
Tea is good for you...coffee bad.

I am firmly convinced that 98% of the world's problems occur because most people start the day with a cup of coffee...it is all bad, no matter how "good" it is.

I have never had a bad cup of Earl Grey tea. I always have a good day if I start off with a cup of Earl Grey.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Garyshome]

Snow White doughnut shop!

[dtknowles]

Plus one on Keurig with K-cups. Once you find a K-cup you like, you are good. I think that getting the right water also makes a difference. I have a Keurig at home and they have them at a couple places I work. I have to use bottled water in the one in Dulles to get the taste I want but in Louisiana the tap water is ok. Right now my favorite K-cup is Caribou Medium Roast but I also like Starbucks Pike's Place K-cup too.

Tim

[smokeywolf]

Costco's Jose something or other vanilla. Capresso or Cuisinart autodrip maker with distilled water. Been hooked on this for 15 years.

smokeywolf

[Blacksmith]

^^What are the egg shells for Blacksmith?

Take out the bitterness.

[Cactus Farmer]

Good water is necessary. Fresh ground beans. I like Mexican Altura dark roast,ground fine. Precise measurement is the key. One standard coffee measure per cup of water. I use an autodrip machine at home but can do with any coffee maker. For old times sake I sometimes use an old all glass vacuum pot as there is no metal to foul the taste. Watching it work is a delite too. All done with steam and atmospheric pressure.

[dagger dog]

Fresh roast whole bean, if it's fresh you will see the oil on the beans and they will be shiny, if the beans are a matte brown and dry it ain't fresh. Keep the coffee in an air tight container in a cool place, and grind it with a burr grinder when you want to brew.

I like mine as espresso served neat with water back, I use a cheap machine that uses the pressure from the heating water and forces it through the brew basket.

I had two cheap 14 bar, pump brewers and neither made the taste I like, plus they were faulty, leaked, and the heating element burnt out one.One was a Krups cost well over 300 bucks, the other was a much cheaper Hamilton Beach.

If you want a good espresso machine you are going to lay out 800 plus, for an entry level Italian machine.

The extremely hot water forced through properly ground and tamped coffee of your taste, produces a great taste without being bitter.

If you like breakfast type coffee just cut the espresso, 1/2 water, 1/2 espresso = "Americana"

I can do a double, or if I really want an eye opener a triple. If may taste buds ask sometimes I thrown in two heaping tablespoons of raw sugar crystals, but that's usually reserved for days when the lead pot and molds are heating up and 10-20 lbs of ingots are setting on the bench !

[DeanWinchester]

I wish I could find a good cup of coffee. Coffee has been one of lifes greater disappointments. The smell is incredible. Love it! Taste? Crãp.
I've tried probably better than twenty kinds of coffee from gourmet to dollar store. It's all nasty.

Bummer. It's like I'm missing out hangin with the cool kids all over again. .....oh well, at least there's beer.

[Petrol & Powder]

A percolator is the Worst method. The drip coffee markers are really not that bad but the water temp is key. I keep a French press on hand for two reasons: 1. No electricity needed 2. it makes really good coffee. I seldom use it because the drip maker is so much easier to deal with. For some unknown reason, a really heavy ceramic cup makes the entire experience better, not sure why. Maybe it holds the heat better?

[wch]

I got to admit I change slow and still make my coffee the old way on the stove top. The wife has one of those put in the plastic premeasured packet and out pops a cup things. My coffee seems more like water then good stuff no matter how much grinds I add. I had a great cup at a restaurant the other night. Any thoughts here on brand or good coffee maker?:arrow:

If you want a good cup of coffee, you must pay for good coffee beans, grind them, and then use a French press.

[grumman581]

All these details and temperatures.
We just get water out of the well or a mountain spring.

Fill the coffee pot with water, set on the fire, grab a handful of coffee and pour it in.

Wait until boiling, then set it to the side.

The grinds settle to the bottom in a few minutes.

Pour everyone a good cup of hot coffee and repeat the process.

The key to this is that it should be done at 4000-8000 ft elevation (http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/boiling-points-water-altitude-d_1344.html).

[unclogum bill]

There was the suggestion of an old school glass vacuum brewing method. I had never heard or seen such. Here's a video . I want one!.
http://youtu.be/h1AXmzF1f2s

[grumman581]

A percolator is the Worst method. The drip coffee markers are really not that bad but the water temp is key. I keep a French press on hand for two reasons: 1. No electricity needed 2. it makes really good coffee. I seldom use it because the drip maker is so much easier to deal with.

I keep a glass percolator around for when the power goes out since I can just sit it on top of the gas burner. I don't particularly like having to cleanup the French press pots since my hand won't fit down in side of them. My wife has switched to the K-cups and they are OK, but do not make a strong enough coffee for my tastes even when I have it set to the strongest of the 3 blends.

I also like the coffee that you get from the Cuban coffee shops down in South Florida.

[500MAG]

One thing I don't want is "flavored" coffee. I want coffee flavor.

[longhorn]

Google up AeroPress. Easiest cleanup and cheapest "French press" style around. I prefer RO water at 185 deg F (from the microwave). Experiment with brands and grinds. I have finally learned that a glass pot sitting on a burner gets ugly tasting real rapidly. If you use a pot, try transferring to an insulated carafe immediately after brewing

[Circuit Rider]

Blacksmith, You like your coffee 'bout as strong as I. Except I prefer fresh ground coffee in a sock with a knot tied in it. If it's been worn a few days it adds lots of flavor, from the toe jam. LOL Had many a cup over camp fire. CR

[flyer1]

I like eight o clock coffee the best.

[Cactus Farmer]

Have used panty hose too tied in a knot. Now I just throw the coffee in, and then let it settle to the bottom. Get full flavor that way.

I would think it might depend on who wore the panty hose as to any added flavor.

[Dale in Louisiana]

No chicory? I thought they would kick you out of the state if you didn't prefer a chicory blend coffee... :)

Chicory is primarily a New Orleans thing and if they want to kick me out of the state for not buying into the 'New Orleans IS Louisiana' shtick, then so be it.

You'd be surprised how many REAL Louisianians think that if the state needed an enema, New Orleans is where the tube goes in.

I remember my pure Cajun grandmother standing in her kitchen 'parching' green coffee beans in a cast iron skillet on the stove. It was 100% coffee, no chicory, and from that reference point I base by Cajun roots.

dale in Louisiana

[Ed Barrett]

I've had some coffee that would take the finish off a pickup truck, and enjoyed it, because it was at a hunting camp with good friends. But when I'm home I like a dark roast with good Ozark well water.

[theperfessor]

A Bunn coffee maker, good water, and Folgers Columbian takes care of our needs.

[TXGunNut]

GE plug-in percolator, no paper filter, never washed, never bitter. Helps that I have good water at home. I have to take it in the thermal cup because the machine at work, using the same brand of coffee, is too bitter for me now.
Have a big blue porcelain percolator that goes anywhere my Coleman stove goes, first pot never lasts long @ hunting camp.

[chuckbuster]

I'm with Dale in Louisiana

French Press and Home Roasted beans, mine come from Burmans Coffee Traders. Since I have started roasting my own I actually do not roast as dark as I used to buy. More "Origin Flavor" less "Roast Flavor". Keeps it interesting. You want something really interesting, get a Natural Processed Ethiopia or Guatemala.
Kevin

[chuckbuster]

"Fresh roast whole bean, if it's fresh you will see the oil on the beans and they will be shiny, if the beans are a matte brown and dry it ain't fresh. Keep the coffee in an air tight container in a cool place, and grind it with a burr grinder when you want to brew." (dagger dog)

Actually amount of oil visible on beans is result of how it was roasted, has NOTHING to do with freshness.

Kevin

[jaysouth]

An annual ritual at camp is to bring two gallons of water to a boil. Turn off the fire and throw a (clean ) cotton sock filled with a pound of coffee and tied off with string.

After ten minutes, the sock is removed. When anyone wants a cup of coffee later in the day, they get it from the pot and heat it up one cup at a time. The coffee does not go stale or burn if allowed to cool.

In the field in the army, five gallons of water would be brought to a boil. The fire was tuned off and a large can of coffee was dumped in the pot. After 15 or 20 minutes the coffee would be poured through a cloth filter into a serving urn. In forward areas, there was no straining. It got to strong to drink after a couple of hours. Actually, it was not too good when fresh.

[country gent]

A few good friends over to sit and chat debate argue and harrass each other makes for a great cup of coffee for me. Actually the friends are the more important part of the equation.

[geargnasher]

The three most memorably worst cups of coffee I've ever tasted all came from French presses. Those things are an expedient at best in my opinion, and I'm not much of a coffee snob.

A good cup of coffee for me comes from stinky, limey well water poured through a Bunn commercial machine and through a heap of Folger's classic roast. The key component is 12-oz plastic travel mug sans lid that, quite literally, hasn't been washed in close to five years now except for wiping the rim. The layer that accumulates over time ensures consistent flavor and gets disinfected with the first pour every morning.

I, too, like coffee-flavored coffee. It isn't like steak that needs seasoning, it IS the seasoning. If I want milk and sugar I make an horchata.

Gear

[375RUGER]

[QUOTE=Ed Barrett;2430511]I've had some coffee that would take the finish off a pickup truckQUOTE]

Sounds like Community Coffee.

[375RUGER]

I wish I could find a good cup of coffee. Coffee has been one of lifes greater disappointments. The smell is incredible. Love it! Taste? Crãp.
I've tried probably better than twenty kinds of coffee from gourmet to dollar store. It's all nasty.

Bummer. It's like I'm missing out hangin with the cool kids all over again. .....oh well, at least there's beer.
Coffee is kind of like beer, you either like it or you don't. I like coffee but it does smell a lot better than it tastes.

[turmech]

For those of you who just use the typical Mr coffee type pot, our local walmart carries a brand called Master Chef. That is what I use. I bought it because it was cheap. It is the best coffee I have every had (could be my twisted taste). When we have company they always complement our coffee. They of course could just being polite. Added bonus it comes in the old style metal can which has so many uses.

[felix]

Stir the coffee after brewing in its glass pot and let the coffee cool naturally. Use microwave to heat a cupful during the day. I use the drip method, using large commercial coffee filters (Bunn?) placed within an oil-filler funnel (wide exit). I rinse off all utensils after use, and before the next go-around. Full utensil washing is seldom done and only when the pot gets too "ugly" from being on the stove during cooking food with oils over time. ... felix

[Petrol & Powder]

A Bunn coffee maker, good water, and Folgers Columbian takes care of our needs.

Solid logic, I can't improve on that.

[Idaho Mule]

All these details and temperatures.
We just get water out of the well or a mountain spring.

Fill the coffee pot with water, set on the fire, grab a handful of coffee and pour it in.

Wait until boiling, then set it to the side.

The grinds settle to the bottom in a few minutes.

Pour everyone a good cup of hot coffee and repeat the process.I gotta agree with Bill on this, start with good water, well, spring, or "branch" (fresh creek water). Then, as my old friend Neal used to say, "It don't take much water to make good coffee". JW

[brassrat]

I never drink the stuff, hot, but have a liking for a cold drink that I make. I pass it out to friends, family and total strangers. It goes over well, extremely well. Profit so far $ 0.00

[Love Life]

When desert bumming in the winter (Primitive camping), I like a stiff shot of sour mash 1st thing in the morning before the coffee is done and breakfast is cooked. Fortifies you quite well for the 1st hour of "Oh my God it's cold!" Every now and then I'll add a dash of habanero hotsauce to the shot.

[brtelec]

The best coffee I have ever had was brewed in a french press after a trip though the digestive tract of a civet cat.

[xs11jack]

Like a couple of you, my taste bud have died to normal coffee, it tastes like ****. However my bank has a Keurig and a bunch of kcup of Hazel Nut flavor. It is to die for. Ah, but I can't afford a Keurig and Kcups, so that went down the crapper. A couple of weeks ago I saw an ad for a common brand name like Mr Coffee or such for a machine that takes the Kcups and only cost about $70. I can squeeze that out of my buget and use the reuseable filter cup and buy cheaper hazelnut coffee. Now the rest of the story, I can't find that ad for love nor money. And I can't remember what store it was from, nor the brand name of the machine. Any one seen that ad???
Ole Jack

[Love Life]

Costco had a cheap one that takes kcups.

[grumman581]

I was wondering who was going to pick up on that. ;)

Well, some things do kind of stick in the brain from college even after a few decades. Must have been on the same day when we were discussing fractional distillation of an alcohol solution.

[2wheelDuke]

I keep the Mr. Coffee around for when there's going to be several people drinking coffee. The Keurig machine is the daily go to. A fresh hot cup almost immediately is just fantastic. I usually use a reusable cup with Dunkin or 8 O'clock grinds to save money.

I've wondered about the knockoff k cups from BJ's. I'll pick up some the next time I'm there.

I also have a stovetop type espresso pot and a glass percolator. Both are good to have in case a storm knocks the power out. The espresso is nice too, either for Cuban coffee or to give extra kick to fancy coffee drinks.

I mix my 45-45-10 think, it's like peanut butter at room temperature. The Keurig machine can crank out a cup of hot water quickly if run with no cup in it. Soak the bottle for a couple minutes and it flows like water to lube my boolits.

[gbrown]

An annual ritual at camp is to bring two gallons of water to a boil. Turn off the fire and throw a (clean ) cotton sock filled with a pound of coffee and tied off with string.

In the field in the army, five gallons of water would be brought to a boil. The fire was tuned off and a large can of coffee was dumped in the pot. After 15 or 20 minutes the coffee would be poured through a cloth filter into a serving urn. In forward areas, there was no straining. It got to strong to drink after a couple of hours. Actually, it was not too good when fresh.

The way you describe coffee made at the camp brought a chuckle to my throat. I remember working as jailer in the old county jail. We had trustees for cooks, and that's how inmate coffee was made daily. Also, during basic training in the '70s, I was used to 5-10 cups of coffee a day. The coffee was so bad in my training company I just stopped drinking it for 8 weeks. Only cup I had during that time was at the USO. Didn't seem to bother me.

[USAFrox]

What makes a good coffee? Throwing out the coffee and putting in hot chocolate instead. ;-)

I'm not a coffee drinker.

[R.M.]

I think I saw that Kohl's had lower cost machines.

[Moonie]

Dale, I agree 100%, my daily coffee is from the keurig but my preference is fresh roasted, I also get my beans from Sweet Maria's, roasted medium in an I-Roar II (I-Roast II for those that aren't familiar). I have a couple of french presses that get duty when I want a GOOD cup of coffee. Always use good water, I use filtered.

For good french press coffee use water just under boiling, 1-1.5TBS fresh grounds per cup, filtered water and let steep for 3 minutes then press. Remember, bitter coffee is caused by not using enough grounds, weak coffee is bitter, strong coffee is sweet.

[timbuck]

Lake Superior water from the artesian well in Ashland makes every coffee taste better. The best water for coffee, not for iced tea.

[Dale in Louisiana]

"Fresh roast whole bean, if it's fresh you will see the oil on the beans and they will be shiny, if the beans are a matte brown and dry it ain't fresh. Keep the coffee in an air tight container in a cool place, and grind it with a burr grinder when you want to brew." (dagger dog)

Actually amount of oil visible on beans is result of how it was roasted, has NOTHING to do with freshness.

Kevin

And the oil doesn't show up on roasted beans until very far into the roasting process. As previously said, you're tasting the roast and not the beans by that stage. I tend to roast until just before the beans start looking oily. If you're going to try it, roasting beans will go through several stages as they get hot. The beans will start to 'crack' pretty loudly. Let them at least get through this stage before you try grinding. You can go darker. In a bit, they'll start to crack again. If you keep going past that, then you'll start seeing the oil coming to the surface. I usually stop at the beginning of the second crack.

Now, if you let them sit overnight, when you grind the beans and brew your coffee, you'll see the coffee grounds actually fizz when the hot water hits. This is called 'bloom' and it indicates a lot of stuff you get in THIS coffee that was sucked out of factory coffee. It's like the difference in the beef taste of a bouillon cube versus a prime steak grilled to perfection.

To me, it's worth the trouble.

dale in Louisiana

[Dale in Louisiana]

Like a couple of you, my taste bud have died to normal coffee, it tastes like ****. However my bank has a Keurig and a bunch of kcup of Hazel Nut flavor. It is to die for. Ah, but I can't afford a Keurig and Kcups, so that went down the crapper. A couple of weeks ago I saw an ad for a common brand name like Mr Coffee or such for a machine that takes the Kcups and only cost about $70. I can squeeze that out of my buget and use the reuseable filter cup and buy cheaper hazelnut coffee. Now the rest of the story, I can't find that ad for love nor money. And I can't remember what store it was from, nor the brand name of the machine. Any one seen that ad???
Ole Jack


Jack-

Like this one? (http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-49995-FlexBrew-Coffeemaker/dp/B009L1SDL2/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1381850199&sr=8-6&keywords=k-cup+coffee+maker)

dale in Louisiana

[smokeywolf]

The way you describe coffee made at the camp brought a chuckle to my throat. I remember working as jailer in the old county jail. We had trustees for cooks, and that's how inmate coffee was made daily. Also, during basic training in the '70s, I was used to 5-10 cups of coffee a day. The coffee was so bad in my training company I just stopped drinking it for 8 weeks. Only cup I had during that time was at the USO. Didn't seem to bother me.

We referred to them as riskees. Never eat the tuna sandwiches.

smokeywolf

[w0fms]

Heh.. A Certified Coffee Snob here. Guns and coffee... ham radio too.. that's about my entire life now! ;)

If you are a caster and reloader, you are not lazy. So hear me out. Lazy people need not try this.

Coffee, good quality, inexpensive in quantity-- "Specialty Grade". My two Primary Sources are Burman's Coffee Traders in Middleton, WI, http://www.burmancoffee.com/ (awesome for those of us who live in nearby states due to cheap local/regional "Speedee" delivery service), and Sweet Maria's in Oakland, CA (home of the fruits and nuts, but the Joe from him is the "extra fancy stuff" usually fancier than Burman's.. but not always) http://www.sweetmarias.com. There are a couple others on the East Coast like Roastmasters and The Captain's Coffee that I've not tried. Stay away from Amazon and e-bay, until at least you know what you are doing for green coffee.

Next, I roast it to whatever level is appropriate. Once you get to appreciate coffee, you'll lighten up the roasts. Most commercial swill is lower quality and the way to make it more consistent is to go to a really dark level, Full City Plus or greater (Vienna) on the "coffee snob" scale. I tend to roast FC to FC+ for Espresso and City to City+ (light) for drip or French Press/Aeropress.

I started off roasting with a West Bend Air Crazy popcorn popper.. it works well once the thermostat is bypassed. But it does 1/6 lb at a time (roasted.. 15% loss thereabouts by weight when going from green to FC+ roasts..).. now I have a Behmor 1600 roaster that has it's own issues but still is much better than any locally roasted coffee.

My wife and I need to drink milk because we both have had surgeries in the past that require us to get protein from that source. So to do this, I've gone to Espresso, and for good Espresso, you need to really learn the technique and do it manually. After playing with many machines, a "real" single boiler machine is needed. I have possibly the cheapest one I could get, a refurb Le'Lit PL041. $370. If you want to learn and experiment a cheaper alternative is the MyPressi Twist V2 which is $99 refurb or about $150. It does an excellent job, but are slow and fussy to use and use N2O cartridges that are hard to get in all but the biggest cities. But it's how I started off too. The little $99-$150 pump Espresso machines are Wal-Mart do not work well enough for real Espresso/Cappucinos/Lattes.

For Milk drinks, that is the only way to go.

If you like black, then Espresso is good, but too strong for many. I can recommend for "simple and strong" (even for milk drinks) a Clever Coffee Dripper. I used mine with a "gold filter". I understand the theory that coffee oils are "bad for you".. don't personally buy it... but I really prefer the taste of them. So I rarely use coffee filters in my drip. The Clever has a valve in it so you can make French Press in it without the horribly messy clean up. They are about $25.. and that and a tea pot is a perfectly acceptable way of making Gourmet coffee.

Some people like the Aerobie Aeropress. I have one, with an Able Disk filter and it does a good job. It's not espresso but it can come out a little stronger than the Clever. I prefer the Clever because it brews a lot more at a time and is easier to use/clean.

I've saved the most important thing for last. The Grinder. The minimum acceptable grinder IMHO is the $35 Hario MSS-1 mini mill from Japan. It's manual hand crank. (I have two of them, one at work) DO NOT USE BLADE GRINDERS for COFFEE! They are fine for spices but ruin coffee. For an electric grinder my minimum recommendation is the Baratza Encore at $129 new or $85-ish refurb. This is actually what I use. I wish I had a slightly better quality grinder but it's good enough that I'm going to use it until it dies first. I actually pull decent Espresso with it.. but it probably lacks the ability for "God-shots".

If you want the BEST coffee.. you need to either buy freshly roasted coffee from a local roaster, or better do it yourself. You need to grind it and use it within 15 minutes. K-cups, being nitrogen filled, are an interesting concept, but the coffee with or without oxygen continues to break down after roasting. 4-10 day old coffee is about ideal for flavor. You WILL notice a difference with freshly reasted coffee by simply pouring water over it. It will bloom out CO2. If it doesn't, don't drink it. I've never seen store bought roasted coffee that would bloom at all. Most are roasted far to dark to cover up poor quality. K-cups too.

It's a lot of work, but once you figure it all out and make it a part of your routine you will never go back. It's orders of magnitude better than even Starbucks.

I started a 'blog for "cheap" gourmet coffee. I got enough posted to get someone started with the hobby. I stopped when I got to Espresso because, there is no really good way to do it for less than $500..

http://cheapskatecoffee.blogspot.com/

Hopefully this will be helpful to someone here and give them a new hobby that is fun and rewarding.

Fred

[Dale in Louisiana]

Fred nails it.

That's not to say that I wasn't VERY happy with a canteen cup filled with the coffee made by some draftee cook back in the day. Those Korean winter mornings made THAT stuff taste good.

And you 'campfire coffee' guys -- same thing. A big part of enjoyment has to do with who and where.

But for Saturday and Sunday mornings: MY stuff, brewed MY way.

dale in Louisiana

[bangerjim]

I have found a "pinch" of salt on top of the fresh ground dark stuff really improves the flavor by taking the edge off the flavor. Just a pinch! Experiment around.

NaCl gets a bad rap with all the MoochHell Obummer food police, but is really adds to the flavor of things you would not normally think of........oat meal.....bread.........butter.....COFFEE!!!! Just to name a few. Just a pinch! The human body needs sodium.....processed crapola has saturated our diets with it so people try cutting down on the white table stuff and loose a lot of flavor.

Try it!

bangerjim

[grumman581]

I have found a "pinch" of salt on top of the fresh ground dark stuff really improves the flavor by taking the edge off the flavor. Just a pinch! Experiment around.

NaCl gets a bad rap with all the MoochHell Obummer food police, but is really adds to the flavor of things you would not normally think of........oat meal.....bread.........butter.....COFFEE!!!! Just to name a few. Just a pinch! The human body needs sodium.....processed crapola has saturated our diets with it so people try cutting down on the white table stuff and loose a lot of flavor.


It always seemed strange to me that putting salt on watermelon make it taste *sweeter*.

[unclogum bill]

Well on the recommendations here I got a Burr Mill Bean grinder at Costco today. At 29 bucks I'm sure there are better, says it will grind my beans 18 ways . Now that's special.

[historicfirearms]

McDonald's, seriously.

[Blammer]

for my tastes, a woman in the kitchen, is what makes a good cup of coffee

:)

[uscra112]

Before I retired we had a very unpopular office manager who insisted on installing one of those one-cup thingys, and took all our real coffee-making equipment away. She claimed we were spilling the coffee on the carpet and it was costing too much to have it cleaned.

Now, our office building was on a well, and we had a monster water-softer in the system. The salt residue changed the boiling point of the water, and about one in three of those little cups would simply explode, spreading wet grounds six or eight feet - - -- yupper, you guessed it - - all over the carpet. That experiment lasted another two months. She actually claimed that we were somehow sabotaging the thing!

[snuffy]

I've been getting my coffee from Gevalia Kaffe for that last 15 years . I'm not sure how I started, but the first 6 months I tried about 6 different blends. I settled on the Columbia blend.

As for the coffee maker, I use them up, then buy a new one. I've burned out 3 in the last 20 years. The current one is a 10 cup drip maker from Mr Coffee. I like it fine, because it's fast! Less than 10 minutes, it's done. It has a thermal carafe, no heater element underneath the carafe. It'll stay drinkable hot for 12 hours.

Gevalia vacuum packs their coffee in ½ pound foil boxes. I'm in an auto delivery system, time intervals can be set on their website. 6 boxes of coffee every 8 weeks for me alone (= 3 pounds).

[Rick N Bama]

[QUOTE=Ed Barrett;2430511]I've had some coffee that would take the finish off a pickup truckQUOTE]

Sounds like Community Coffee.

Watch it now....Community is our "Afternoon" Coffee made in a French Press. It's great!

Rick

[Dale in Louisiana]

[QUOTE=375RUGER;2430722]

Watch it now....Community is our "Afternoon" Coffee made in a French Press. It's great!

Rick

Rolling over the I-10 Mississippi River Bridge at Baton Rouge with a south wind, when the Community Coffee mill is roasting, that's a FINE thing!

dale in Louisiana

[Kull]

I got into coffee heavy years ago when my wife and I got re-stationed up in Washington state. Drank it all from the nastiest dealership community coffee pot to the cappuccinos and con panna's I'd make at home with the various machines I've owned over the years. Rancilio Silvia, Gaggia Coffee, etc.

For me, without a doubt, the best coffee made at home on the cheapest budget comes from a moka pot. Specifically something like a Bialetti (http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/espresso/moka-pots/bialetti-musa-moka-pot.html) stainless model, not their aluminum one. What makes a huge difference, even more than the chosen brewing method, is fresh coffee and a proper grinder. Blade grinders are the devil, for many reasons. You want a burr grinder. Roast your own beans if you are so inclined. It's not hard, very similar to making popcorn. In fact you can easily make a good coffee roaster from an old air style popcorn popper (http://www.sweetmarias.com/airpop/airpopmethod.php). Or even get the job done with a heat gun and a stainless steel dog bowl. Been there done that with both methods.

That said.....I don't drink coffee anymore. I switched to tea five or six years ago.

[unclogum bill]

Ahh gezzz, found my self face to face with this expresso maker at Good Will yesterday. still in box , original price tag 99.99, mine here and now for 6.99 . Fired her up this morning. What small cups they use. Well I poured four shots in a cup and took off. Yes I mean took off. Will someone please shoot me down!!!!!!!!

[FISH4BUGS]

The regular kinds of mass produced coffee (Folger's, Chock Full o' Nuts, Maxwell House, Dunkin' Donuts) are produced from coffee beans that are grown for quantity of yield, not quality of flavor. Try some organic styles that you can buy at health food stores. Blends like Mexican Altura, Ugandan, Nicaraguan, etc. Fair Trade coffees are usually stronger and mostly organic. It is sometime more expensive in most places but better flavors and STRONGER beans. Use well water (or spring water) to make your coffee and you will never go back.
Using these kinds of coffees it doesn't really matter what pot you use. Filters, Melitta, French press, anything.....

I got to admit I change slow and still make my coffee the old way on the stove top. The wife has one of those put in the plastic premeasured packet and out pops a cup things. My coffee seems more like water then good stuff no matter how much grinds I add. I had a great cup at a restaurant the other night. Any thoughts here on brand or good coffee maker?:arrow:

[grumman581]

If you really want to appreciate your coffee, do a bit of research and see how long it takes to grow a coffee plant and how many beans you get from one per year. OK, technically, they're not "beans", but rather more like a pitted cherry, so a fruit.

[grumman581]

Ahh gezzz, found my self face to face with this expresso maker at Good Will yesterday. still in box , original price tag 99.99, mine here and now for 6.99 . Fired her up this morning. What small cups they use. Well I poured four shots in a cup and took off. Yes I mean took off. Will someone please shoot me down!!!!!!!!

Even with regular coffee, their definition of a "cup" is a bit different than my definition of a "cup". I use 8 fl-oz as the definition of a "cup". That usually results in an excessively watery coffee with most brands of coffee. Oh, and BTW, in case ya'll didn't know it, the "cup" used for dry measure is not the same size as the "cup" used for liquid measure. This comes from the difference in a liquid gallon (231 cu-in) and a dry gallon (268.8025 cu-in). Thus, a liquid cup is 14.4375 cu-in and a dry cup is 16.8015625 cu-in). And then to further confuse things, the quantity of coffee to add to the water in a pot is usually measured in tablespoons -- but is it specified in liquid tablespoons or dry tablespoons? The fact of the matter is that most people don't know the difference and most instructions don't bother to tell you which unit of measurements are being used. Combine that with the fact that a "cup" of coffee means a different size to different cultures and it's a wonder that we get something that is even remotely palatable. :)

[alamogunr]

[QUOTE=Rick N Bama;2432588]

Rolling over the I-10 Mississippi River Bridge at Baton Rouge with a south wind, when the Community Coffee mill is roasting, that's a FINE thing!

dale in Louisiana

I would drive down there just for the experience. We use Community Coffee(Dark Roast) in a Cuisinart programmable. A 12 cup(?) pot every morning.

We also have a Kuerig and an ample supply of Tully's Italian Roast.

Speaking of Starbucks, my son and daughter-in-law gave me one of those "I love guns & coffee" mugs along with a bunch of K-cups for my last birthday. Since I had never seen that particular logo, I thought it was a standard Starbucks mug until I looked closer.

[starmac]

You can keep all the fancy coffee. I like plain old folgers, called classic now. Made in the two plain old coffee makers sitting on my counter. lol

The first time I ever got a hold of something called coffee that was not coffee was at a circle k truckstop in bryan Tx. I choked down about half a cup before I went and told the cashier that they had a serious problem with their coffee pot. She ask me what color the top of the pot I poured it out of, when I ask her what difference that made, she explained I had got something that wasn't suppose to taste like coffee. GROAN

[whelenshooter]

What makes a good cup of coffee is...it being in someone else's cup. My wife of 26 years is a fiend for coffee. So occasionally I drink a cup with her just because. I make a pot for her every morning, folger's, her standard. But I just don't like the stuff. Now coffee flavored ice cream is a different thing...

[starmac]

What makes a good cup of coffee is...it being in someone else's cup. My wife of 26 years is a fiend for coffee. So occasionally I drink a cup with her just because. I make a pot for her every morning, folger's, her standard. But I just don't like the stuff. Now coffee flavored ice cream is a different thing...

My case is exactly opposite. You couldn't force my wife to drink a cup of coffee, but she makes it every morning (most mornings) and if I am not working she brings me a cup upstairs for me to smell getting out of bed. lol

[grumman581]

What makes a good cup of coffee is...it being in someone else's cup. My wife of 26 years is a fiend for coffee. So occasionally I drink a cup with her just because. I make a pot for her every morning, folger's, her standard. But I just don't like the stuff. Now coffee flavored ice cream is a different thing...

If you like coffee flavored ice cream, you'll probably like the Starbucks "Caramel Mocha Frappuccino". Overpriced, of course, but a nice treat if you like to "drink your dessert".

[Skirmisher]

The best cup (canteen cup) of coffee I ever had was in RVN. We had been use to the instant **** in C rations. Sent a scrounger to the rear for "admin purposes". He came back with 3 big cans of coffee. Steel pot, water, and C4. Pour in the grounds and bring to a slow simmer. Let the grounds settle. HEAVEN.

[adrians]

Brand of Coffee: Whatever is on sale
Water: Straight from the sink
Coffee Pot: Mr. Coffee

Add grounds to filter, add water to reservoir, push start button, come back in 5 minutes for coffee.
Unless you let your son in law make it , then it's time to get the Keurig and K- cups out,,:shock:

[felix]

If you really want to appreciate your coffee, do a bit of research and see how long it takes to grow a coffee plant and how many beans you get from one per year. OK, technically, they're not "beans", but rather more like a pitted cherry, so a fruit.

Texas A&M is now the "chartered" University in charge of coffee plants (trees) throughout the world. Just like fruit trees in general, there are thousands of varieties of coffee plants. But, like Oak trees having only two major groups, Coffee trees are grouped into two base varieties: one with a horrific "oily" acid and caffeine (Robusta) background, and the other having fruits with low acid content and caffeine (Arabica). The University's job is to mix and match various varieties (via DNA) according to the most desired fruit that will grow best in various world locations, including newer locations never having such plants. ... felix

[starmac]

LOL It is amazing that coffee did alright until a university could get it straightened out.
It also makes one wonder if it was Juan or his burro that was the aggie. lol

[felix]

Ho,ho,ho: it's the Jolly Green Giant supported by Juan and his burro in a three-way peeing match on top of the mountains! I wonder if the A&M folks will add such characters to their coffee presentations? ... felix

[geargnasher]

If there's one thing I know about Aggies, it's their rather elusive sense of humor.

Gear

[Dale in Louisiana]

My case is exactly opposite. You couldn't force my wife to drink a cup of coffee, but she makes it every morning (most mornings) and if I am not working she brings me a cup upstairs for me to smell getting out of bed. lol

My sweetie's exactly the same way. She absolutely refuses to drink coffee in any form and I've offered her everything from Community drip to carefully roasted, fresh-ground espresso, cappucino, french press, or anything else.

I love my coffee. I won't refuse the stuff they brew at my stations in Mississippi and Tennessee and Texas, because I can sit there with that cup of steaming coffee and interact with friends.

But I love my Saturday morning when, after breakfast, I brew up a steaming mug of something that was picked on a mountainside in Guatemala (or some other coffee-producing region) brought to me, roasted, and ground fresh before brewing.

If the best cup of commercial brew is a single clear tone of music, then my stuff is the opening bars of a Beethoven symphony.

dale in Louisiana

[BRobertson]

We have a JURA brand coffee maker. Expensive , but makes great coffee!!!

The BEST coffee is made with a French press!!

Bob

[helice]

Here in California the political folks have things totally messed up, and that includes the water. If a fellow fills a bath tub with the door closed the bath room fills up with the smell of flourine or chlorine or some such bleach. That stuff just flat ruins the flavor of good coffee.
As a boy my father had a 2 gallon enameled coffee pot. He never washed it out, just rinsed it. He refused to use the Stainless Stanley vacuum bottles and only used the glass variety stoppered with a cork. Drank only coffee made from well water.
I appreciate the wealth of information here. Plan to use some of it. Might even buy a burr mill or two for a few Christmas presents.

[felix]

I agree, Ian! Can you imagine the humility they gained when their "engineered" bon fire got completely out of control before a homecoming game? Hit the news everywhere! ... felix

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

filtered water heated to 191º
coffee beans, roast, and grind seem to be secondary to coffee quality, but a specific machine may like the beans ground a certain way.
My 16 bar pump expresso machine likes a extra fine grind lightly packed. I grind it at the grocery store and store the grinds in the freezer. I can't tell a taste difference from beans ground same day...or ground weeks earlier and stored in freezer in air tight container.

Why 191º ?
I honestly don't know, I assume a higher temp will extract the bitter acids from the grind? ...and I assume a lower temperature will extract less flavor from the grind?

Anyway, my current part time job is building industrial control panels for various machines in the food processing industry. One prominent company makes coffee extract for another prominent fast food company known for good coffee. I have built control panels for the coffee extract machines.

[alamogunr]

I agree, Ian! Can you imagine the humility they gained when their "engineered" bon fire got completely out of control before a homecoming game? Hit the news everywhere! ... felix

I'm not sure I can trust my memory but wasn't that the one that collapsed as they were building the wood pile? As I remember the pictures, it looked as if they got overly ambitious.

[David2011]

I never cared much for coffee until I was transferred to New Orleans. Coffee is a whole different deal there and I learned to appreciate its robust flavor. Community Dark Roast was the expected coffee at every office coffee bar. I drove by the Community plant every morning on the way to work. I agree that New Orleans is NOT Louisiana. The rest of LA is very different from New Orleans. We're on well water now and have to run it through a softener. SWMBO insists that we run it through a Brita filter for coffee. I can't disagree, although the water is very good anyway. We have a French press which is seldom used, most of the coffee is made in a moderately priced Cuisinart that has the stainless thermal carafe. That thermal carafe keeps the coffee hot and since there's no heater needed it's good for hours.

When the weather turns cool I like to start making latte on the weekends. The espresso machine is a Gaggia, way more expensive than I would ordinarily buy but it was a brand new one found at a garage sale in a "high rent district" at a fire sale price. Probably an unused wedding gift. Nice upgrade frm the Black and Decker that actually cost more that the Gaggia set. Two doors down was a matching Gaggia espresso grinder. I got a grand worth of coffee making equipment for lirerally less than the price of a cheap Mr. Coffee. For once, I got the bargain!

We can't buy Community locally so order the Dark Roast through Amazon. IMO the coffee is the most important part and even a Mr. Coffee will make good coffee if the coffee is good enough. We also like the darker Gevalia roasts. SWMBO used to drink 2-3 pots a day alone but I've convinced her that a few cups of stronger coffee are more satisfying than gallons of swill.

I'm a fan of the Keurig as well, especially with the Green Mountain, Paul Newman and some of the other dark, full flavored coffees.

Dale in LA has me thinking. His musical analogy of his coffee being Beethoven compared to the single note of the other coffees. My French horn, beautiful as its music was, only played one note at a time. I now play a steel drum- the Caribbean symphonic instrument of choice. Yah MON!

David

[David2011]

I agree, Ian! Can you imagine the humility they gained when their "engineered" bon fire got completely out of control before a homecoming game? Hit the news everywhere! ... felix

More than humility. People were crushed while building the woodpile.

David

[Suo Gan]

My dad is a coffee snob. He has spent a small fortune on coffee pots and coffee he buys from around the planet and has shipped in. I am a cheap skate, and I have found that to me, each of the different styles of making coffee are good, and I like them all to a certain degree. But I do not enjoy futzing around with things like that. And I like good too.

Just a normal electric coffee pot. It does not have to be a Bunn or a Seaco or anything like that. The real key is the water and the coffee. I think that Sams choice is the best coffee for the buck. If your well or town water is good to drink and does not taste funny you will be fine. If not there is bottled water.

I use a little bit heaping half cup of the good coffee grounds, and 12 cups of water in the pot and flip the switch. Call me nuts but nestle regular creamer is the best stuff in coffee since they came out with sugar.

I sometimes wish it was morning so I can drink some.

[starmac]

LOL What has morning got to do with it. I drink coffee unless I'm sleeping.

[trochilids]

I never cared much for coffee until I was transferred to New Orleans. Coffee is a whole different deal there and I learned to appreciate its robust flavor. Community Dark Roast was the expected coffee at every office coffee bar.

Yep. I did some bird research for Louisiana State University on oil and gas production platforms out in the Gulf of Mexico in the late 90s. The guys out there were really big on Community coffee. It couldn't be anything else. Having moved to Mississippi from California, I'd never tasted something quite so obnoxious, but it really grew on me. I think coffee is definitely regional in preference.

[grumman581]

LOL What has morning got to do with it. I drink coffee unless I'm sleeping.

I've been known to drink a cup of coffee before I got to bed so that I don't wake up from caffeine withdrawal headaches.

[snuffy]

I have to assume that community coffee is a name brand? This yankee has never heard of it.

[QUOT] Quote Originally Posted by starmac View Post
LOL What has morning got to do with it. I drink coffee unless I'm sleeping.
-----------------
I've been known to drink a cup of coffee before I got to bed so that I don't wake up from caffeine withdrawal headaches. [/QUOTE]

IF I have any kind of caffeine within 6 hours of bedtime, I can't get to sleep! About half the time, I still need the help of Ambian even if I've behaved myself, not even had aleaded cola, have to get the un-leaded cola or diet 7-UP.

I'm on my third 16 OZ. cup of leaded Gevalia today. Last night was one of those Ambian nights, it leaves a drug hang-over that require copious amounts ol' Joe the next morning.

[felix]

Maybe so, John. Whatever was the truth/circumstance, it hit the news big time. ... felix

[Dale in Louisiana]

I have to assume that community coffee is a name brand? This yankee has never heard of it.

[QUOT] Quote Originally Posted by starmac View Post
LOL What has morning got to do with it. I drink coffee unless I'm sleeping.
-----------------
I've been known to drink a cup of coffee before I got to bed so that I don't wake up from caffeine withdrawal headaches.


IF I have any kind of caffeine within 6 hours of bedtime, I can't get to sleep! About half the time, I still need the help of Ambian even if I've behaved myself, not even had aleaded cola, have to get the un-leaded cola or diet 7-UP.

I'm on my third 16 OZ. cup of leaded Gevalia today. Last night was one of those Ambian nights, it leaves a drug hang-over that require copious amounts ol' Joe the next morning.[/QUOTE]


Community Coffee (http://www.communitycoffee.com/) is indeed a brand name. Their facility is on the west bank of the Mississippi River just south of the I-10 Bridge at Baton Rouge, Louisiana. By act of the state legislature, it is officially the State Coffee of Louisiana.

dale in Louisiana

[paul h]

If you're serious about coffee and you want some really, really good coffee then get green beans and roast your own. I've tried lots of different commercial beans, and while Peets has some really good stuff, it's hard to beat stuff you've just roasted for freshness.

Whether you use a drip maker, french press, expresso or turkish style just depends on what you like. I usally make drip but a good shot of expresso sure can hit the spot, and french roast isn't bad either. Different preperation styles bring out different aspects of the beans flavor. I prefer my coffee straight, strong and black. If it needs something added to it, then the beans are second rate. Don't buy flavored beans, they use second rate beans and try to hide the fact with foo foo flavorings.

[gritsngiggles]

I make my own mixture of 2lbs of Wally World dark roast and 1lb CDM coffee and chicory. Mix well and use the recommended measuring scoop to soot your taste. Grits

[starmac]

Y'all sure make it complicated. Two scoops of folgers, add water and we call it good.

[unclogum bill]

Third day in a row, using mt 6 dollar Expresso" Good Will" find. Now thats coffee I can taste. Put in water for 4 cups and little less coffee than they recommend . Cheap Costco beans , I get one decent strong cup of coffee.

[rondog]

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b150/rinselman/funnies/Redbullcoffee.jpg

[geargnasher]

I've been known to drink a cup of coffee before I got to bed so that I don't wake up from caffeine withdrawal headaches.

I had both wisdom teeth pulled on one side a while back. On day two the intense pain in my jaw was subsiding but then I started getting a headache. I thought no way I could possibly have a headache since I was stacking three kinds of pain killers, but it kept getting worse like someone beating the back of my skull with a 2x4. Finally I was at my wit's end but out of habit asked my wife to brew a pot, if I was going to be awake and miserable I might as well drink some coffee like I normally do.

After a few sips the headache suddenly vanished. Then I realized what was going on. Darndest thing.

Gear

[alamogunr]

It has been awhile but I remember the headache I had when I had to abstain from food and drink(coffee) when I went in for a surgical procedure. The only thing that relieved it was the pain from the incisions and the nausea from anesthesia was worse.

[grumman581]

I had both wisdom teeth pulled on one side a while back. On day two the intense pain in my jaw was subsiding but then I started getting a headache. I thought no way I could possibly have a headache since I was stacking three kinds of pain killers, but it kept getting worse like someone beating the back of my skull with a 2x4. Finally I was at my wit's end but out of habit asked my wife to brew a pot, if I was going to be awake and miserable I might as well drink some coffee like I normally do.

After a few sips the headache suddenly vanished. Then I realized what was going on. Darndest thing.


Congratulations... You're addicted too... Luckily, it's still a legal addiction... :)

[smokeywolf]

I get bad caffeine withdrawal headaches; migraine levels. If I don't take in the equivalent of at least 2 large cups of coffee in the morning, by 9:30 PM I'm in all kinds of trouble; even an 800mg. ibuprofen can barely moderate my headache.